Stealing Moments
by Aerilon452
Summary: Cloud Dancing is waiting for Dorothy but when her horse shows up without her, he goes in search of her afraid of what he would find. ONE SHOT. COMPLETE. R&R [DorothyxCloud Dancing]


Summary: Cloud Dancing waits for Dorothy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman

Rating: T

Pairing: Dorothy and Cloud Dancing

STEALING MOMENTS:

Cloud Dancing waited for Dorothy to arrive. The illness in town had him fearing for her, had him wanting to be there with her, but at the same time, had he attempted it, he would have been bound and shackled by the army. He took a seat on a downed tree feeling anxious about seeing her, it had been too many days since last he laid eyes on her. Cloud Dancing needed to gaze upon the fiery red haired beauty that had mended his heart. She had healed his soul as much as she could. Then, hoof beats approached him. Standing up, he knew the horse the beats belonged to. Dorothy's horse was without its rider. Panic sliced through his heart. He held his hands up, "Whoa..." Keeping his voice calm and soothing he moved slowly towards the startled mare.

"Be still," Cloud Dancing gently placed his hand on the mare's neck, letting the magnificent animal feel from his touch that he was not going to hurt her. "I am not going to hurt you." He soothed. The horse settled down under the soft spell of his voice. "Now, where is your rider?" Cloud Dancing asked, not really expecting an answer. Looking over the mare, he made sure the saddle was undamaged. It was, everything was fine. Cloud Dancing gripped the reigns, guiding the horse around so they might go and search for Dorothy. He couldn't let the panic paralyze him. Finding her came first.

Back along the path, Cloud Dancing found where Dorothy's horse was startled. She must have been thrown. Knowing that soldiers could be nearby, he couldn't risk calling out to her. Tethering the horse to the closest tree, Cloud Dancing searched as close to the path for signs of Dorothy, and as quietly as he could. Then the glimpse of purple caught his attention. Down the embankment he saw her sprawled, her face hidden in the grass. Rushing to her side, he pulled her into his lap seeing blood across her brow. "Dorothy?" Cloud Dancing tried to rouse her, but she didn't respond to his voice. She was breathing, her heart beat was steady, and she was just unconscious.

Cloud Dancing picked Dorothy up and carried her back up the embankment to where her horse was. It took some doing, but he managed to get her safely on her horse, leaning over so her arms were on either side of the mare's neck. There was no way he could risk taking her into town. That left him one choice; bringing her back to the clearing where he'd made his camp. Taking but a moment, Cloud Dancing made sure the path was still clear. He listened to all that was around him, only the sounds of nature graced his ears.

LATER THAT EVENING:

Dorothy felt a lick of heat across her face bringing her back to the waking world. At first she didn't know where she was, or what had happened to her. Opening her eyes a little bit more she saw a fire and a shadowy figure, the form was familiar to her though. "What...?" She tried to sit up but her head pounded in revolt. Then it started to come back to her. Something had startled her horse, throwing her from the saddle.

Cloud Dancing heard Dorothy rouse from sleep. He had waited with baited breath for her to wake. Looking at her from across the fire, relief flooded him at the sight of her moving around, albeit slowly. "Rest easy," He urged her, getting up from his place where he watched her. "You were thrown from your horse." Cloud Dancing informed her when he came to kneel next to her.

"I'm starting to remember that." Dorothy brought her hand up to her forehead. The skin around her wound was hot to the touch, but she could feel that it was healing. "I was on my when something startled my horse. I never did see what it was." She said with her eyes closed. Hands rested at her sides, it felt so good to have him with her. Dorothy opened her eyes again, smiling up at Cloud Dancing. "I'm sorry I made you worry."

"All that matters is that I found you." Cloud Dancing brought his left hand up to cup her face. He stretched out next to her, keeping the heat of the fire on her while kept the slight autumn chill from her back. He smiled when she snuggled back into his arms. The warmth of her chased away all the doubt he carried; his freedom, Sully returning him, and the army leaving. Dorothy was all that mattered. She had to be in this moment in time.

"How long have I been here?" Dorothy asked fighting the urge to fall back sleep. She was safe and warm sheltered in the arms of a man she loved more than life. "Not that I'm complaining." Dorothy added with a chuckle. If she was truthful with herself, she would have gladly stayed up in the Northern territory with him when she saw him again. The moment their eyes met, Dorothy knew that she would never be able to be away from him.

"I have been tending to you for the rest of the day and well into the night." Cloud Dancing answered kissing the spot behind her left ear. Being with her, alone brought back memories of their journey back from the Rung River valley when Sully was in danger. He liked being out in the woods with her while the only sounds were of the night time creatures and their breathing to mingle with the crackling fire.

"I like this, the silence, the whispering of the wind through the leaves, and the slivers of the moon we can see." Dorothy mumbled turning to face Cloud Dancing. "I love these rare moments we can steal to be together." She brought her hand up to touch his face for a second, and then rested her palm over his heart. "I just wish everyone could leave each other alone."

"Peace is never easy to achieve when both side can not trust the other." Cloud Dancing said. "We are working to ensure the safety of my people and of the town." If it was within his power, he would have peace, he would have safety for him and Sully, and he would have the freedom to see Dorothy whenever he wanted. He couldn't have imagined falling for her that day she had come to him on the reservation and asked to base a book on him, on his people. Now, he couldn't imagine a day without her.

"I know, I'm not saying you should stop. I would never want you to give up." Dorothy closed her eyes and cleared her throat. She was always saying the wrong thing when they were together. "I'm just greedy, I want more time with you. Not moments here and there where you can take my hand, or I can see you smile, or where we have only the time for a small conversation."

"That is not greed." Cloud Dancing said. "I wish for us to have more time together as well." A sigh escaped him. He could handle the loss of his people, the loss of his home, living as a fugitive from the Army, but the thought of having to leave Dorothy left a hole in his heart so big that the only cure was for her to be with him.

"What are we going to do?" Dorothy wondered as she had many times before when she was within his arms. "Time goes by too fast when we are together."

"I know, as much as I would wish to change that, these moments we have together are made more precious because they are so fleeting." Cloud Dancing kissed Dorothy's brow holding her close. From within his arms, her breathing slowed indicating that she had slipped into sleep. Nothing pleased him more that sharing his bed with her.

EARLY MORNING:

Dorothy didn't remember falling asleep until she was waking up alone under the blankets beside a dead fire. Sitting up too fast her head pounded drawing a whimper of pain from her. She was alone in the camp, from her field of view she couldn't see Cloud Dancing. If the impending threat of soldiers weren't so dire, Dorothy would have called out for him. But times being what they were, she didn't dare. Rather she remained silent while holding her head in her hands. She felt like she had spent the whole night drinking rather than falling off her horse the previous day.

Cloud Dancing had risked leaving Dorothy alone to venture into the woods to gather some herbs, some yarrow that he could make into an ointment to treat her wound. What little he had, he used yesterday when he first brought her back to his camp. Sensing he needed to return, Cloud Dancing melted back into the greenery of the woods making his way back to his campsite.

Dorothy heard the underbrush rustle. Panic gripped her as she reached for the large knife Cloud Dancing must have left behind. Her hand closed over the bone handle just as she saw him coming back through the trees. "Oh, it's you." Dorothy chuckled. "You had me worried. I thought you were a soldier." She put the knife away feeling foolish for having jumped to conclusions in the first place. No one would be looking for her. Lately, she had been gone for days at a time. If someone saw the Gazette closed, they wouldn't think twice about it.

"I needed more herbs so I could tend to your wound." Cloud Dancing answered kneeling down next to Dorothy once more. He dipped the tips of his fingers into the ointment. "This will sting." Softly he warned her, but she nodded giving him her complete trust. With his free hand he carefully brushed aside her red curls before he barely touched the medicine to the cut on her brow.

The moment the soothing balm touched her open cut Dorothy hissed in pain and closed her eyes. Cloud Dancing immediately took his hand from her brow. She quickly said, "You didn't hurt me. I just wasn't prepared for the initial sting."

Rather than say anything at all, Cloud Dancing took Dorothy's face in his hands, pulling her close so he could kiss her. Their lips pressed together and Dorothy leaned into him with her arms draping over his shoulder and her fingers tangling in his hair. She gasped, giving him entrance into her mouth. Her hold tightened on him, giving him her consent. He took her astride his lap mindful of her wound and her sore body from the fall and from sleeping on the ground. At this moment, all that mattered was feeling her against him.

Dorothy moaned when Cloud Dancing brought her across his lap. It didn't matter to her that her head pounded and throbbed, that her body was sore. The last time she felt the warmth of Cloud Dancing was when she had gone after him in the Northern Territories, it had also been the last time they had kissed. This time, they had more time to just be one another. She loosened her fingers from his mane of hair, reaching down between them to grasp the hem of his buckskin shirt. Dorothy broke the kiss, her gaze linking to his, but she didn't ask. She waited for silent consent that she would only be able to see in his eyes.

Cloud Dancing only had a moment where his mind thought about hesitating, he could stop this. He didn't. His heart cried out for him to move further with her, to finally heal the last fraction of his wounded heart. With his eyes he gave his consent to her. Cloud Dancing raised his arms above his head as she pulled the shirt over his head. Dorothy dropped the article of clothing on the blanket behind him, or beside him. He really wasn't paying attention. All he saw was her and all he wanted to feel in this moment was her.

Dorothy tried to keep her breathing calm and even as she pulled the shirt from Cloud Dancing's body. She could feel the heat of his body bleeding into the palm of her hand. The heart that beat under her hand was so strong, it filled her with strength, gave her what she needed. Knowing that she could, she drew the tips of her fingers across his skin, feeling burn scars from the Sun Dance he'd gone through as a young man. He didn't just sit idly by while she touched him freely. Dorothy shuddered when Cloud Dancing's fingers fiddled with the button at the base of her throat. Like she had done, he was waiting for silent consent to continue.

Cloud Dancing waited patiently for Dorothy to give her consent just as he had given it to her. He could feel the way she shuddered under his touch. Dorothy stopped exploring his chest, the scars he'd earned during his life, so she could look deeply into his eyes. She cupped his face, thumbs stroking his cheek, and a smile gracing her lips. Dorothy nodded giving her consent. He undid the top button revealing skin as pale as snow. Another button opened and his breathing caught in his chest. He continued moving his hands down over her dress until he encountered the second layer of clothing all white women wore. Cloud Dancing smiled. The layers made him eager to see the rest of her.

Dorothy had the split second reaction where she wanted to stop him from pulling the top layer of her dress down from her shoulders. She was scarred and she was afraid for him to see it. The fear filled her eyes causing Cloud Dancing to stop. "I'm sorry..." Dorothy shook her head. "I... uhh..." How could she tell him this when, after all this time, it still didn't fit in her mind. "Michaela had to perform an operation on me a few years back..."

"You are alive." Cloud Dancing said gently. "That is all that matters." He curled his fingers into the open v of her dress and slowly pulled it down her shoulders. All the while he was mindful of her shuddering, the way she held his gaze, fighting through the fear she had to be feeling. "I only see you." The top half of her purple dress pooled around her waist. Cloud Dancing held her eyes letting her see all the love he had for her shining in them. Until she was ready, he would hold his hands at her waist.

Dorothy didn't know when she had pulled her hands away from Cloud Dancing's chest, crossing them over her own in a vain attempt to shield herself from his eyes. It was plain foolishness. With a cleaning breath in and out, she opened the slip to reveal the rest of her to him. She pulled the light white fabric down so it pooled around her waist with the top half of her dress. Then she moved her hands up to cup his face as he still held her gaze. "No one has seen me… like this…" Dorothy said. She hoped he could understand what she truly meant.

Cloud Dancing heard what it was she did not say to him. She was telling him that she trusted him with not only her heart, but with her body as well. Gently he kissed the side of her neck where he felt her shudder, but not out of fear. Angling his head, his lips touched the hollow of her throat. Dorothy moaned for him, moaned because of him. It thrilled him and he waited until she was looking at him once more before he moved on.

Dorothy felt her eyes flutter open without realizing that she'd closed them. Cloud Dancing had stopped. He was waiting for something, waiting for her. Looking at him again, she saw happiness in his eyes. It was because of her, because she was trusting him and loving him. Dorothy felt what he wanted, she leaned back a little and then gasped when he lips touched the scar left from the surgery Michaela had performed to save her life years ago. Lovingly, he lavished attention on the one aspect her body that she still had yet to reconcile within herself. The tenderness of his touch, the way he kissed her made her heart melt. "Oh, Cloud Dancing." She moaned.

Cloud Dancing turned his head, resting his cheek against her chest. He didn't see Dorothy as any less than what she was; a beautifully brave woman who loved him. Her scar was one part of her story; a story he loved no matter what the tale held. She draped her right arm across his shoulders drawing his attention back to her eyes. He watched her pull free the pins holding her hair in place. Cloud Dancing didn't dare speak while her tumble of fiery hair was taken from its restrictive bun and braid.

Dorothy didn't know what was coming over her. She sat astride him, the top half of her body without any clothing, and now she was taking her hair down. With ease she freed the pins from her hair, cast them aside, and undid the braid. Dorothy let her red locks whisper down her back, tickling her sides. What was it about him that made her want to take risks? Why did he inspire boldness inside her? She didn't have the answers to either question, she was just happy he was helping her to find her true self. "You make me bold and brave. You give me the courage to fight for us, for your people," Dorothy muttered, a sly smile playing over her lips. With her hair free, she brought her left hand back to his face, cupping his cheek.

Cloud Dancing felt his heart leap in response to her words. "You have healed my heart." He said reverently. "I have not loved this deeply since…" The name of his wife caught in his throat. Dorothy kissed him then and he eagerly returned the passion. With his arms securely around her waist, he took her down to the pallet they had slept on. He was about to move from on top of her, to stretch out beside her, when her knees tightened on his hips.

"Stay like this," Dorothy said when he tried to move away. "I don't hurt. I could never hurt when you're with me." She assured him when she saw concern rise in his eyes. To chase away the fear that had suddenly returned, Dorothy pulled him down against her so her bare flesh touched him, and so she could take his lips again to show him how unhurt she truly was. She wanted this to happen. With things going the way they were, Dorothy didn't know the next time she would be able to see him, to hold him.

Cloud Dancing settled into the cradle of Dorothy's thighs. "Are you certain you wish to continue?" He asked, he had to be sure before going any further with her. Dorothy gave her answer in the form of a light kiss to his lips. There was a moment for him to pull back, for him to respect the propriety of her culture, but just as she wanted him, he desired her in return. Letting his heart have free reign, Cloud Dancing plundered her mouth, drawing a moan from her.

Dorothy arched her back, begging with her body for Cloud Dancing to do to her what he willed. She hungered to have her body joined to his, to be enjoying the deepest of pleasures that only two people could know with the other. Before the danger entered into her mind, Dorothy reached down to his waist and found the ties holding his leggings in place. With one tug she made her intent clear. "I love you…" She breathed out. If she was only able to say it once, then she wanted it to be this one time.

MID AFTERNOON:

Dorothy hated parting from Cloud Dancing when next they would see each other was so uncertain. She rode into town without much thought to her absence, or to the people looking at her like she had been gone for a week rather than a single day. In truth she was distracted, replaying the every single thing that had happened that morning. It brought a satisfied smile to her face, it blocked out everything even the sound of her name being called out. When it did register that someone was trying to get her attention, she found her horse stopped outside of the clinic with Michaela on the porch looking at her. "Oh, Michaela, I'm sorry." She wasn't sure what she was apologizing for actually. Dorothy couldn't remember if they were supposed to spend time together last night or not.

"Dorothy, what happened to your head?" Michaela asked first upon seeing the angry red laceration to her best friend's forehead. "Get down here and come inside so I might examine her." The tone in her voice stressed that she was not to be trifled with this day. She had already had a bad morning out at the homestead because of the soldiers riding through, startling her horses and her daughter. This long separation from Sully was testing the strength of her nerves today. Luckily Dorothy didn't argue. She dismounted from her horse, tied the reigns to the railing and walking into the clinic.

"Michaela, I'm fine," Dorothy tried to convince her friend, but the Doctor wasn't hearing any of it. She was ushered inside, where the door shut. Knowing that if she argued she would court discord with Michaela, who seemed to already be suffering from a bad start to this day. "Is everything alright?" Dorothy asked taking a seat on the exam table. A little groan of discomfort caught in her throat. It had been a while since she had welcomed a man into her body.

"Now, tell me what happened." Michaela ordered, momentarily setting aside Dorothy's question to her as she carefully examined the laceration to her friend's forehead. The edges of the wound were red, slightly warm to the touch, but already healing. Taking her fingers away she rubbed her thumb and index finger together to feel the remnants of an ointment had been applied.

"My horse threw me." Dorothy said bashfully. It had never happened to her before. "I was on my way to meet Cloud Dancing, and something spooked my mount. The last thing I remember is hitting my head. When I woke up, it was evening and he was there, he found me, and brought me back to where he was camped." She hadn't intended for her voice so sound so happy.

Michaela felt the happiness radiating off of Dorothy and it drove away her poor mood. "You're lucky, your injuries could have been more severe. A head wound is…"

"The least of my worries." Dorothy finished with a broad grin still on her lips. "I feel fine." She felt better than fine. She felt complete. Even with the distance and danger between her and Cloud Dancing, she could feel him in her heart more than she had before.

"Something else happened out there didn't it?" Michaela asked, giving her best friend her first smile of the day, albeit a knowing one.

Dorothy brought her hands up coving her cheeks when she felt a blush color her skin. Before she could speak, she nodded slowly. "We made love this morning, and after we had a small amount of breakfast, as well as after lunch." She spoke quickly with small laughs breaking up her sentence. Then she covered her mouth as if she could call back her confession.

Michaela didn't know what to say. She could only smile as widely as Dorothy was. When her best friend had told her, in a roundabout way, that she had fallen in love with Cloud Dancing Michaela had been thrilled for her, but now. Michaela was ecstatic that, even in times of danger, Dorothy had found a moment and had shared her love with a truly wonderful human being. "That's…. well I don't know what to say."

"I don't either, all I know is that I wanted it, I needed the feeling of him to carry with me." Tears leapt to Dorothy's eyes. "I don't know when I'll be able to see him again." She knew Michaela was the one person who could truly comprehend how she was feeling. Sully was a fugitive, he was in hiding just as Cloud Dancing was. "How do you do this? How do you keep hope alive that Sully will come hope and you can clear his name?"

"That's just it, I have hope." Michaela answered. "Some days, like today, it does get hard to keep it going strong. The army, the Dog Soldiers, all of it tends to wear me a bit thin." She hated that she felt this way, but with her husband in hiding and two children at home. Michaela didn't know how she got out of bed, or left the house, most days. "But during times like this, while they're away, we have to be strong."

"I know, and you're right. Showing strength, surviving this is all we can do." Dorothy agreed. "I just wish it didn't have to be like this." She mused resting her hand over the right side of her chest still feeling Cloud Dancing's lips against her skin. "I just love him so much that it hurts to be away from him."

"I know," Michaela sighed taking a seat next to Dorothy. "All we can do is be strong while they're away." Being without Sully reminded her of what her life had been like before they were married, before they had even admitted to feelings for the other. She didn't like being alone, not since she had come to know all the happiness she had with her husband.

"Isn't that what we do anyway?" Dorothy replied and laughed draping her arm across Michaela's shoulder. Her friend started to chuckle with her until they were reduced to peals of laughter. For now she would content herself with memories of what happened today to carry her over until next her path crossed with that of her love.

THE END


End file.
